Dry Sister Mountain Villa

In a teahouse in Little Spring Town, the storyteller with one broken leg was still telling Bloodthirsty Storytellers tales.

He had no choice. That day, not only had someone broken one of his legs, that damned bastard had also stolen his reward money.

Setting his leg required silver, and if he stopped telling stories, he would lose his livelihood. He could only grit his teeth and continue.

Vaguely, he felt that his broken leg might have something to do with Duan Old Devil.

After all, Duan Old Devil was actually rather charming. It was not merely because of his methods for inducing Feminine Descent, but because he dared to kill anyone, regardless of gender or affiliation.

He could make the relatively low-ranking gangs of the martial world bleed like rivers, dared to inflict Feminine Descent upon great heroes, and dared to kill the Red Tower Fairy and the madmen of the Thunder Duke and Old Mother Sect. He treated everyone equally.

A person like that surely had no shortage of followers.

But lately, everyone had become fond of stories about Duan Old Devil making people undergo Feminine Descent, so he could only keep telling them.

Though he was somewhat afraid, he also felt a faint thrill.

Yes, his desire for Bloodthirsty Storytellers was no lie. Thinking that he might somehow draw Duan Old Devil's attention actually filled him with excitement.

Duan Yun sat in the teahouse, already having decided to break the storyteller's other leg later.

Over the past two days, he had gradually grown accustomed to becoming the protagonist in this storyteller's tales.

In other people's mouths, he was mysterious and sinister, possessed countless perverse methods, and looked harmless to man and beast while secretly bringing calamity upon heaven and earth. Yet he knew that he himself was brimming with righteous energy.

That Duan Old Devil, aside from being handsome, looking harmless to man and beast, and leading around a donkey, could be said to be his complete opposite.

Yet that was the version of himself in other people's mouths.

In his previous life, Duan Yun had merely been an ordinary corporate drone, utterly unremarkable and never any sort of celebrity.

Now, through sheer accident, he had become a figure who stirred the winds and clouds in other people's tales. The feeling was actually quite fresh.

It was only that this reputation was worlds apart from what he had imagined, even the complete opposite.

Still, he knew that given enough time, his heroic name would surely spread far and wide.

Just then, the storyteller suddenly fell silent.

Yes, it was not one of those pauses meant to solicit reward money. He had suddenly become silent as a cicada in winter.

At the same time, the patrons in the teahouse also fell quiet.

The place had been bustling with noise, but all at once, not a sound remained.

That was because three people in red had suddenly appeared outside the teahouse.

Their bodies were covered in tadpole-like runes, while the sparse hair atop their heads surrounded numerous deep holes. At a glance, they resembled honeycombs, making one's scalp tingle.

Black flutes were inserted into two of the holes.

At a glance, they looked like thousand-legged beasts that had cultivated into spirits, exceptionally wicked and bizarre.

They merely stood there for a moment, yet the air nearby seemed to freeze solid.

Duan Yun looked at the three strange figures without speaking.

The three people in red glanced inside, then left shortly afterward.

Only after the time it took to drink half a cup of tea did the teahouse become lively again.

At that moment, the storyteller muttered, "Did you see that? Even experts from the Thunder Duke and Old Mother Sect have arrived. Duan Old Devil might be somewhere near Springwatch City."

Duan Yun fell into thought.

He could not determine whether those three had come for him, but the wicked aura they exuded alone marked them as absolute experts, far beyond the madman from the Thunder Duke and Old Mother Sect whom he had killed with a flick of his finger that day.

It seemed the Thunder Duke and Old Mother Sect still possessed some foundations.

"Should I follow them and kill them first?"

The thought flashed through his mind.

He quickly restrained his killing intent.

This Duan Old Devil could not reveal his whereabouts so soon, for he was unsure whether only those three had come, or whether other enemies lurked nearby.

Even if he was a one-in-ten-thousand sword dao prodigy, he had no desire to be besieged.

After finishing his tea, Duan Yun led his donkey straight out.

Since people from the Thunder Duke and Old Mother Sect had arrived, the inn was crowded with too many eyes and ears. It was no longer a place where he could stay.

Today, he needed to first find a suitable place to cultivate his techniques.

This reminded him of the time when the Black Bear Gang had forced him into having a home he could not return to.

Once his techniques advanced another step, he would certainly come back and slaughter these people clean, only then easing the hatred of having an inn but being unable to spend money there!

Little Spring Town on the outskirts was exceptionally bustling, but Jade Town not far from it presented an entirely different scene.

This small town actually had everything, yet it was much quieter.

Jade Town had once been lively because a jade mine vein had appeared here. But after the mine was exhausted, people left, and the town gradually grew deserted.

Moreover, there was a Grave Mountain near the town. Most of those who died around Springwatch City were buried here, and tales of strange, sinister incidents often emerged from the town. As time passed, even fewer people came here.

Duan Yun rather liked this place.

Little Spring Town was lively, but there were ultimately too many people and too many eyes.

If this "Old Devil" kept leading a donkey in and out of the place, he would easily expose himself before his enemies.

Jade Town was built along the mountain slopes, with a stretch of Jade Lake beside it. It reminded him of the days when he cultivated at Clear Tea Market.

There were not many people in Jade Town, though neither were there particularly few.

After all, it was close to Springwatch City. Its small population was only relative.

Walking along Jade Town's rather old streets, Duan Yun even felt that it was not quiet enough.

He preferred the feeling of living in the outskirts at Clear Tea Market.

Thus, Duan Yun walked along the lakeshore and arrived at the edge of Jade Town.

There was a set of stone steps leading up the mountain, where several residences stood, seemingly abandoned.

From here, the windows of those abandoned houses resembled pitch-black eyes, somewhat chilling to behold.

Yet Duan Yun found himself walking upward.

Halfway up, he discovered an enormous residence.

This residence was naturally abandoned as well, but it had been preserved relatively intact. Unlike the other houses, whose courtyard walls and rooms had partially collapsed, it remained mostly whole.

Standing at the gate, he could faintly make out several characters on the wooden plaque. However, the writing had peeled away, and Duan Yun could only recognize strokes resembling "Gan Wei Manor."

"Gan Wei Manor, or Sworn Sister Manor?" Duan Yun guessed.

He did not enter the residence immediately. After tying Little Gray to a nearby tree, he circled the courtyard walls.

Halfway around, Duan Yun had to admit that any place bold enough to call itself a "manor" truly occupied a vast area.

But when he reached the rear courtyard, he froze.

Duan Yun finally understood why the houses up here had been abandoned. Not far beyond the rear courtyard lay a forest.

Bamboo grew throughout the forest, along with graves scattered everywhere.

Some had tombstones, some did not. Some still retained the shape of burial mounds, while others had been washed open by rain, exposing what lay within. They stretched beyond the eye's reach.

Behind it lay a vast Grave Mountain. Most absurdly, someone had set up two straw men beside the graves, as though two people were watching you.

Even Duan Yun, who had experience sleeping beside graveyards in the wilderness, felt his scalp go numb.

It was clearly only afternoon, yet the place gave off a sinister, frigid feeling.

Then Sworn Sister Manor beside this Grave Mountain could truly be called a standard haunted house.

No wonder hardly anyone came here.

Duan Yun quickly decided that he would live here.

Was there any better place?

It was secluded, no one would disturb him, it was not far from town, buying things would be convenient, and most importantly, he would not have to pay rent.

Without another word, Duan Yun vaulted over the wall and entered.

He was going to inspect his new home!